Ohio State Student Affairs is moving its technical support facilities from Lincoln Tower to a building on Kinnear Road.

“Student Affairs goal is to empty Lincoln Tower and make it a residence hall,” said Molly Ranz, director of facilities for Student Affairs.

The project will move the Student Affairs information technology staff and its computer equipment to a building that housed Best Restaurant, 960 Kinnear Road, until its $2 million purchase on Sept. 1 by Student Affairs.

“Our staff and equipment have expanded over 50 percent in the last year and we’ve outgrown our space,” said Valerie Shafer, director of information technology for Student Affairs. “There’s no more room for expansion.”

The BuckID office will remain in Lincoln Tower for now, Ranz said.

In Lincoln Tower, floors 16 through 23 are used as residence halls. After the move is complete, floors four through 14 will allow an additional 570 students to inhabit the building.

The tower was originally designed to be a residence hall only.

“We’re using 50 percent to 75 percent more space than we need because of rectangular pillars; because of how the building was designed,” said Mike Hiatt, associate director of information technology for Student Affairs.

“I think it (the move) is going to help us consolidate some things and make some needed changes,” Hiatt said.

Student Affairs IT has about 7,500 square feet of space in Lincoln Tower, and the move will provide an additional 500 feet, Ranz said.

Shafer has a student-employee sitting on the floor because of the dearth of space.

“I think it’s a good move for us. Even within Lincoln Tower our staff is divided into four floors. It’s better to be one unit,” Shafer said.

Hiatt hired a student who is “basically sitting in a corner in the hallway.”

“I do have a chair for him,” Hiatt joked, after learning of Shafer’s student-employee, who is resigned to the floor.

The move will make things “better, faster and cheaper,” Hiatt said.

“We’re looking at this as a strategic move. Strategically, it’s an important move,” Hiatt added.

The project is tentatively slated to begin this summer and wrap up in winter 2005. Meetings are ongoing to discuss a budget, but all of the funding will be provided by Student Affairs.

Should Student Affairs come across any snags, such as delays in the building schedule, permits or meeting the sprinkler-system code, the project will likely begin in October or November, Hiatt said.